Roadrunners to head west for weekend series at Utah State

Courtesy: UTSA AthleticsRelease: 04/04/2013

Courtesy UTSA Athletics

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SAN ANTONIO — UTSA will begin a six-game road this weekend with a three-game series at Utah State. The Roadrunners and Aggies will play a doubleheader at 3 p.m. (CT) on Friday and conclude the series with a 2 p.m. (CT) tilt the following day.

UTSA (19-14, 4-2 WAC) enters the third weekend of Western Athletic Conference play in a tie for third place with Louisiana Tech. The Birds are dropped two of three games last weekend against league-leading San Jose State.

Darian Blake led the Roadrunners last week by hitting .500 (6-for-12) with three doubles and an RBI. The Katy native has at least one hit in all six WAC contests and her .409 batting average in league games has upped her season mark to .329. Meanwhile, Vivian Tijerina leads the squad with a .412 average in conference action and her five RBIs are tied with Samantha Beeson for tops on the team during that stretch.

Since the start of conference play, UTSA is hitting .290, while its pitching staff is holding opposing hitters to a .206 average. The group boasts a 2.70 ERA for the season and a 1.50 mark in its last six games.

Utah State (6-28, 0-6 WAC) will look to carry momentum from a 12-4 victory at Idaho State on Wednesday into the weekend. The Aggies, who have played just three games at home this spring, opened the season with 20 consecutive defeats before rattling off a five-game winning streak. The squad’s .218 batting average and 5.37 ERA both rank eighth in the WAC.

Christine Thomson’s .345 average leads the team, while Nicole Arata paces the Aggies with three home runs and 17 RBIs. Meanwhile, Noelle Johnson’s three wins are the most on the pitching staff and Mandy Harmon leads the unit with a 5.05 ERA.